State marijuana growing should not be considered

January 18, 2014

West Virginia legislators have been in session for only a few days, but already, some weird, bad ideas are being suggested. One of them is that our state should establish a marijuana growing industry, with the product exported to states where it is legal.

State Sen. Clark Barnes, R-Randolph, brought the matter up during a hearing on agriculture. He cited a report predicting that sales of marijuana in states where it is legal, such as Colorado and Washington, will grow by nearly $8 billion during the next few years. "We may never legalize marijuana in West Virginia, but maybe the potential exists for us to export the crop," Barnes said.

Aside from the ethical issues involved, a few practical obstacles exist. One is that marijuana sale still is illegal under federal law.

Another is the difficulty of enforcing a ban on marijuana use in a state where the weed can be grown legally.

Before someone suggests the idea ought to be considered by a joint legislative committee, it ought to be snuffed out.